Cuban defector Chapman fires agent  —  Cuban pitching phenom Aroldis Chapman has fired the representative who helped him gain free agency, his former agency confirmed Saturday.  —  Edwin Mejia, of Athletes Premier International, had represented Chapman soon after he defected from the Cuban national team in July.

Yankees can wait for Halladay  —  Talent, first.  An ocean of coin to follow.  —  That's the price tag hanging around Roy Halladay's neck as the small collection of teams that can afford him hatch their plans to acquire arguably the best pitcher in baseball from the Blue Jays.

Marlins' Johnson facing one-year deal  —  Seeking four years, ace forced to settle for short-term solution  —  MIAMI — A couple of conversations that lasted roughly a half hour appear to have changed Josh Johnson's long-term future with the Marlins.  —  Talks between the Marlins and Matt Sosnick …

Mets expand club presence at Citi Field  —  Parts of stadium will be re-named for influential Mets  —  FLUSHING, N.Y. — The New York Mets today announced plans to expand the presence of club history at Citi Field next season in a variety of ways including renaming areas of the ballpark after Casey Stengel …

Former Yankees on the move  —  Last night, when I read that the Houston Astros had signed former Yankees minor league pitcher Jose Valdez, I assumed it was a minor league deal that might be worth a note at some point.  Then I read on Mike Ashmore's blog that Valdez was added to the Astros' 40-man.

Shelley not coming back to Yankees  —  Shelley Duncan was outrighted to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but that doesn't mean he'll end up there.  —  The first time a player clears waivers and is sent outright to the minor leagues, he has no choice but to accept the assignment.

Mets can't ditch Castillo  —  The Mets opened free agency quietly yesterday, stirring only long enough to scotch reports of a potential three-way trade involving Luis Castillo.  —  The proposed deal, originally reported by the Chicago Tribune, also involved the Cubs and Rangers …

THE WHISPERS  —  Many in the Cubs' front office think they would be foolish to give up Starlin Castro to get Curtis Granderson, but there are a lot of other ways to do the deal.  General manager Jim Hendry appreciates all Granderson brings to the table, even though he has had trouble hitting left-handers …

Expect Simms to start vs. Chargers  —  Barring an overnight medical miracle that heals Kyle Orton's bum ankle, Chris Simms will be the Broncos' starting quarterback Sunday against the San Diego Chargers with sole possession of the AFC West lead at stake.  —  Simms has practiced all week.

To Hang In, a Series Winner Must Learn to Let Go  —  More than any other team in American professional sports, the Yankees cannot afford to rebuild.  The team's partnership with the YES regional sports network is too lucrative when the Yankees are winning, their hulking palace of a stadium …